Twelve Days of RWBY Oneshots: 2017
by Helena Louvel
Summary: Happy holidays! This is a series of one-shots for various characters and time periods from Volume 1-5. One chapter will (hopefully) be posted every day until Christmas. [Note: unfortunately only managed to finish four chapters]
1. Chapter 1: Someday (We'll Be Okay Again)

**Title:** _Someday (We'll Be Okay Again)_  
 **Characters:** _Ruby Rose + Yang Xiao Long_  
 **Summary:** _The road to Mistral was a difficult one, even for Remnant's most simple, honest souls. Fortunately, the love of a sister is not one to be underestimated._

* * *

The mornings in Mistral are what Ruby found herself enjoying the most. The early hours, when the sun just began to peek over the tops of the mountains surrounding the Kingdom, and a gentle fog billowed over the gardens, and the sky was painted in the soft pastels of an invisible artist. The silence that saturated the city was so unlike what she'd grown used to. On the road, silence was unnerving. It meant something was wrong; a lurking Grimm, another destroyed village, a painful memory. These were things Ruby had grown used to but certainly wasn't fond of.

Here, however, the lack of noise was different. It meant safety. Tranquility. A slow sunrise.

"You're up early."

Ruby smiled at the familiar voice, turning away from the beautiful view to watch her sister approach. Yang carried two steaming mugs in hand, but unlike the last time, Weiss didn't join them. She suspected her partner was enjoying a little well-deserved extra sleep. Ruby envied her for that.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" the blonde asked.

"A little," she replied in earnest, a timid shrug rustling the fabric of her cape. Ruby recognized the quirk of Yang's brow as one of concern, but the dark circles under her eyes suggested that she wasn't alone in her streak of sleepless nights.

One of the mugs was lowered in front of her. While she wasn't really in the mood for a dose of caffeine, she accepted it gratefully, only to have her somewhat dejected resignation alleviated a moment later as Yang snorted.

"Don't worry," she said, settling onto the dirt next to her sister. "It's not coffee."

"Oh!" Ruby's smile returned in full, fingers curling tighter around the ceramic mug. "Thanks."

She took a cautious sip, thinking maybe Yang had raided their cupboards for tea but was pleasantly surprised by the simply divine taste that rolled over her tongue. An involuntary shiver ran through her, and her grin broadened.

"Is this…?"

"Hot chocolate?" Yang's smile mirrored hers as she blew on her own beverage. "Yup."

In almost perfect sync, both sisters took a long drink.

"Mmm," Ruby hummed happily and licked a small patch of foam from her above her lip. "Just like dad's."

As children, Ruby could remember many an instance when Tai would come home late, exhausted from a long day of teaching at Signal, only to somehow find the energy to make them all cups of cocoa. Those nights usually ended with the trio passed out on the couch, the theme of a forgotten movie or video game blaring over the TV.

The memory was bittersweet. The last time she had seen her father had been the night before she left for Mistral. She couldn't even recall the last thing she'd said to him. She prayed to whatever deity who might have chosen to watch over her that she had told him she loved him.

Yang watched a shadow cross her sibling's expression, and frowned.

"Ruby?"

Ruby set her drink on the ground, drawing one knee to her chest.

"How is Dad?" she asked, glancing briefly at Yang.

"He's…" Yang took a moment to properly consider it before settling on, "doing okay. Took you leaving pretty hard." A pained sound tumbled from the back of Ruby's throat. Her posture sagged, and she suddenly found the toe of her worn combat boots very interesting. A letter. She had left a _letter_ to tell her own father that she was embarking on a reckless mission that had nearly gotten her, and her friends, killed.

More than actually leaving, she regretted not being brave enough to face him.

Setting her own cup aside, Yang put a hand over her sister's. "Ruby," she began. "It's okay. I'm not mad, and neither is he. Just… really worried. You up and leaving like that… scared him. I think it reminded him of-"

"Mom," Ruby finished, shoulders tensing on a nearly imperceptible wince.

Yang nodded, "Yeah. Both of them."

"I sent you guys letters, you know," said Ruby at length. "Fourteen of them - I counted. I guess none of them made it."

"You gonna tell me what they said?" Yang asked. Her flinch was impossible to miss this time, and instinct had Yang's grasp tightening a fraction. When her sister didn't respond, she gave a sigh.

"Ruby… I know there are things that happened out there. Things that Jaune, and Ren, and Nora haven't told us. Things _you're_ not telling _me_. And that's okay, you don't have to. But I'm here if you want to."

"Of course I want to," Ruby blurted out not a heartbeat after Yang finished. Glistening silver finally met concerned lilac, and her brow furrowed in frustration. "Of course I want to tell you everything! I just… I don't know how." Momentarily struggling for an even breath, she tried to rub the pinpricks from her eyes. It was a futile effort - her eyes misted anyways.

"Sometimes it felt like we saw something awful _every day_. Villagers. Huntsmen. Entire towns, just… gone. And even if we didn't, it was so… _quiet_. All the time."

Ruby's chest constricted further, and she swallowed hard despite the painful pang of dread in her stomach. "It took weeks for Jaune to have a normal conversation with us, Yang. A-and I don't- I _didn't_ know Ren and Nora that well. I-I didn't want to ask because I knew they were all thinking about Pyrrha and what happened, and I-"

"Ruby. Hey."

Giving her hand a gentle tug to get her attention, Yang spread her free arm wide. Ruby needed no other prompting in order to practically throw herself at her older sibling and, likewise, Yang needed no further indication of her sister's need as she wrapped her arms around the trembling teen, drawing her as close as she could without restricting her ability to breathe.

"Shhh," she soothed, carding her fingers through Ruby's short hair in an attempt to help her relax. "It's okay."

"It was all my fault."

"No. No, no, no. Ruby, don't sa-"

"It was!" Ruby cried, breath leaving her in a rattling wheeze. "You were- I-I…" She fought against the memory that shoved its way to the fore of her mind; the arrow protruding from Pyrrha's back, the gargling gasps for breath, the glowing embers that floated away in the wind.

"W-Weiss and I went back for Pyrrha and Jaune, a-and Jaune… h-he called us, and begged us to save her, and I was the only one who could make it up the tower. A-and I-… I wasn't fast enough! Cinder shot her and I couldn't do _anything_!"

All at once, Ruby began to weep with a force that startled Yang. Hoarse, keening sobs shoved themselves from her chest as she shook with a violence that made it seem as though her fragile frame would simply shatter.

"I couldn't save her," came as a broken whimper, and Yang tightened her hold, feeling her own eyes burn. Ruby buried her face in her sister's shoulder, clinging to her for all she was worth, fingers curling and creasing the fabric of her jacket. Cold tears dripped in a steady river from her cheeks as dizzy nausea took hold, enough to make her want to vomit.

Yang leaned over, her cheek pressed against the warmth of Ruby's hair. A choked apology reached her ears, and the blonde shook her head on another gentle hush. Her hand moved to rub small circles over her sibling's back, uncertain of how much comfort the unforgiving metal could provide but wanting to do whatever she could to calm Ruby nonetheless.

"Breathe, Ruby," she said softly. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here. Just breathe."

The younger of the pair did as she was told, albeit feeling like an eternity later. Ruby turned her focus to the rise and fall of Yang's chest and strove to match the rhythm, then to the careful hand tracing over her shoulder blades. Her breathing evened out, shallowly at first, and then more relaxed. Gradually, Ruby's hiccuping sobs eased into sniffles. She shifted only to wipe trembling palms across her face, and Yang caught some of her swollen profile - tired, reddened eyes, cheeks shimmering with drying tears - as she did.

Craning back slightly to give her some space, Yang's gaze flitted up to the lightening sky.

"Do you remember… our first big test at Beacon?" she asked, the idea of a smile pulling her lips upward. "In Peach's class? I think it was on survival tactics or something like that, right? You remember how long we all studied for that stupid thing? How even Weiss struggled with it? And then, we get our marks back, and-"

"And even Pyrrha failed it," Ruby finished, sniffling. An airy laugh followed a moment later. "She was so mad."

"What was it she said?" Yang raised an eyebrow, her smile growing as she looked back to her sister. "'If I can survive four years at Sanctum," Ruby shared her smile and spoke with her, "I don't need a test.'"

For a minute, the sister's laughter mixed in the morning air; Yang's half-covered chuckle, and Ruby's higher giggling mingling in an unlikely harmony. When it faded, so did the small light that had leapt to Ruby's gaze. She closed her eyes with a shaking sigh.

"I miss her," she said.

"Me too."

"I miss Penny," Ruby continued after a breath. "And our bunk beds. And waking up ridiculously early for class, and taking trips to Vale on the weekends, and our teachers, and-"

Yang gave her arm a squeeze. "Shhh. I know."

Reaching around her, Yang took Ruby's mug - still half-full with steaming cocoa - and offered it to her. After a hesitant second, it was snatched from her fingers. With a light chuckle, she turned to collect her own. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence, with Ruby leaning heavily against her sister, and Yang's arm securely around her shoulders.

"Hey. Listen," said the older, her words slow and careful. Ruby peered up at her, but she continued to stare out at the distant mountains. "When you were away… things were pretty rough at home."

Ruby took a breath, intent on apologizing, but Yang beat her to the punch, "And before you say anything, don't you dare think that's because of you."

"This…" Yang drummed the fingers of her prosthetic hand against Ruby's arm to punctuate her point, "wasn't easy to get used to. Wouldn't have been, whether you had stayed home or not. But… it's normal now."

Ruby drew back a bit, and Yang turned to her, her gentle smile tinged with sadness. "As much as it hurts, and I know it does, this," she gestured to their surroundings, "is our normal now too. I wish we could go back, Ruby. I would give anything, just for us to have one more day at Beacon. But we can't."

Ruby's lower lip wavered dangerously. Pressing them together in a firm line, she nodded; once, resolute.

"But I'm here," Yang continued. "So are you. So is Weiss. And Jaune, and Ren, and Nora, and even Uncle Qrow." Yang pulled her back in, and Ruby's head dropped onto her sister's shoulder. "It is what it is, sis."

Ruby lowered her gaze to the dirt, considering her words. Then, she raised her mug to her lips. "It is what it is," she repeated in agreement, voice muffled, and took a sip.

Yes - Ruby decided that she very much enjoyed Mistral's version of silence.


	2. Chapter 2: Virtues

**Title:** _Virtues_  
 **Characters:** _Blake Belladonna + Sun Wukong_  
 **Summary:** _Good friends are hard to come by. Blake counts herself lucky that she has at least one by her side._

* * *

Menagerie's market district was bustling with more Faunus than usual. It wasn't odd - it was nearly midday, and the sky was clear, the sun beating down mercilessly overhead. It did, however, make Blake's walk back from the shoreline a little longer, and as she buried herself in her thoughts, she found herself glad it was one she didn't have to make alone.

" _The jury's still out on that one. But I'm leaning towards 'earnest'."_

At first, Blake wasn't sure if her way of thinking about those she surrounded herself with would confuse or, worse, offend her unlikely companion. It always felt a little shallow when she said it aloud. Of course, she knew there was more than one way of describing everyone; more than one trait they possessed. But a word - a single, beautiful word - always ended up stuck in her thoughts.

Ruby was purity, and that was a rare one. Even the day they properly spoke for the first time, Blake could see it. It was in her posture, her words, the determined way she spoke of her aspiration to be a Huntress; not for the fame or the glory or the money, but to truly, genuinely help people. Out of the simple _goodness_ the young girl's heart was steeped in. In hindsight, Blake reckoned that's what had made her so easy to follow. She knew what she wanted, and she remained undeterred by all that sought to derail her, including her own friends. That kind of raw spirit was something Blake wished she possessed.

"Sun?" she said softly. Absentmindedly, her hands moved, the fingers of her right curling around the forearm of her left - a distinctly vulnerable position. At her voice, Sun's seemingly endless, enthusiastic remarks about the island petered off.

"Yeah?"

Weiss was defiance, as steadfast as the cold she was named for. Of course, that made her stubborn, and arrogant to no small degree. It had taken Blake longer to see that there was more to it than that, mostly because of their original animosity towards each other. _That_ was warranted, from both sides, as she could see far clearer now than she had then. But Weiss was far from the prissy Schnee company heiress she had believed her to be. She stood against what the SDC had become and sought to find her own path in the mess her father had created. Blake respected, maybe even admired, her for that.

"Hey," Sun gave her shoulder a gentle nudge, and Blake realized she hadn't spoken. "You okay?"

She nodded and tried for a reassuring smile. "I'm fine," she said. "Just… thinking."

Another silence fell between them. He didn't push, but slowed his pace to match hers, patiently waiting for her to continue in her own time. _Tact, thy name is surprisingly Sun Wukong,_ came her thoughts, unbidden. She gave a small, quiet snort before her expression fell, and she bit her lip.

"Sun, why… did you follow me?"

He seemed taken aback, and though he recovered quickly, his cocksure grin wasn't as bright as normal. She would have had to have been blind not to see the worry in his eyes.

"I told you, didn't I? I-"

"No, I mean-" Blake's voice rose higher than she had intended. She forced herself to take a breath. "I mean, why did you stay? After everything… after I ran from Vale, after I left my team behind, after I- I _hurt_ you! After getting you mixed up in all," Blake gestured to their surroundings with a jerk of her arm, "this. Why stay when I-…?"

 _When I left you. When I left them. What makes me so special?_

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Behind closed lids passed a flash of gold. Yang. Yang was strength. Unwavering, like a fire that refused to be doused. She'd resented that at first, tried to distance herself from it. She'd been burned once, and she was hesitant to be enticed by a flame again. But, like the sun, her partner's brilliant light wasn't something she could easily hide from. She had grown grateful for it, borderline dependant on it.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She saw red.

 _I'm sorry._

"Did you expect me to leave?"

She blinked in surprise, finally turning her head to face Sun properly. His gaze was focused on the road, and his voice was soft, but there was an edge to it; a tension in his posture that she couldn't quite understand.

Earnest. Sincere and intense conviction. To her, of all people. No… this is exactly what she had expected. And that's why it felt so wrong.

"No," she admitted. "But-"

"But you want to know," he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. Blake cast her gaze back to the crowd, pressing her lips together in a firm line. After a few moments, she sighed.

"I want to know why you keep coming back."

"Because you're worth it," the response was immediate. Despite how his tone rung genuine, Blake couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from her lips. It sounded wonderfully corny, coming from him.

Sun pouted indignantly, crossing his arms. "Hey, I'm being serious. You're- I-" he gave a frustrated groan and threw his hands in the air, very nearly knocking the basket from a passing woman's arm. "I dunno how to explain it."

In the stretch of silence that followed, Blake smiled in spite of herself. He was so, _so_ wrong, but it was a sweet sentiment.

"Righteous!"

Blake started, heart jumping in her chest. Her expression was one of utter bewilderment. "Huh?"

"That's the word!" he announced triumphantly. "You asked before if I ever looked at someone and thought that they were the embodiment of a word? Righteousness. That's you."

Blake wasn't sure if she was confused or flattered. She certainly didn't have enough time to react to be angry.

"I-…"

"Look," Sun began, calming himself enough to explain. "For as long as I've known you, you've always been tryin' to do the right thing! Whether it's with all this stuff with the White Fang, or your team, you've pushed yourself to do what you think is the right thing to do, whether people agree with it or not. It's inspiring."

His voice had gone low, with a gentle sincerity that Blake recognized by now as entirely honest in its intention. He smiled at her, softly for a moment, then with his usual gung-ho flair. "But that can get you into trouble. And that's where I come in!"

Blake returned his smile. "Yeah. I guess it is."

They walked quietly for a minute, nearly shoulder to shoulder in the thick crowd as if daring someone to try and pass between them. The throng of the market was comforting in its own right, Blake decided. Almost as much as the young man who strode beside her.

"Hey," he said at length, smile wide. "I meant it, you know. You're a good friend, Blake, and I don't want to see you get hurt because you think you deserve it. That's why I keep coming back. You're worth so much more than you think."

Masked as a flick of her hair, she rubbed the all-too-familiar pinpricking sensation from her eyes. She shook her head, even as her words contradicted it.

"Thank you, Sun."

 _Maybe one of these days, I'll start believing it…_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, don't look at me. It's shipping either way if you squint. Anyways, better late than never! I hate my work schedules. Day 3 will be up along with my proper Day 4 tomorrow!


	3. Chapter 3: Never Meant To Be

**Title:** _Never Meant To Be  
_ **Characters:** _Pyrrha Nikos (+ Thea Nikos)  
_ **Summary:** _Pyrrha may have been Mistral's prodigal daughter, but her heart lay solely in her destiny as a Huntress, wherever it might take her._

* * *

' _The Invincible Girl'._

' _Prodigal Huntress'._

' _Warrior of her generation'._

Pyrrha Nikos had been called these things, and more in the past few years of her training at Mistral's Sanctum Academy. None of them by choice, but all accepted with a great deal of humility and gratitude. She was a brilliant young woman; brave, and strong, and kind to a fault. Many saw the shining star as the very model of what the aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant should strive to be.

So, when Pyrrha finally mustered the courage to round the corner and step onto the creaking floorboards of her kitchen, she rightly hated how timid her voice sounded to her own ears,

"Mother? Can I... talk to you?"

Thea Nikos was, by no stretch of the imagination, an old woman. Though in her late forties, time had been gentle with the aging artist. Her eyes - the color of which Pyrrha had inherited - shone with a brilliance and lust for life one would expect from someone many years her junior, despite the dusting of silver in her upswept auburn hair and the fine lines around her mouth and eyes that usually only made a prominent appearance when she smiled.

Wiping off her hands, her mother turned to her with one such smile.

"Of course," she said. As Pyrrha settled herself at the small sunlit table, two cups of tea were poured, and within moments one was set in front of her with a barely audible _thunk_. Her mother eased herself into the chair opposite her, hands curling around her own steaming beverage.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Mother, I..." Pyrrha began, but didn't get very far. She averted her gaze and took a slow breath, giving herself a brief few seconds to gather her thoughts. "The application deadline for Haven Academy is tomorrow."

"Are you having second thoughts, dear?" she said, brow furrowing in what seemed like understanding. "It's alright if you are, you know. If you're not sure. You're under no obligation t-"

"N-no!" Pyrrha interjected hurriedly. "No, this is what I want. I _want_ to be a Huntress. I've come this far."

And she wasn't about to throw it all away. Not for something this trivial. If anything, her years at Sanctum had only proved to solidify her desire to continue down her current path. It was, she firmly believed, her destiny to be a Huntress. To help the people of Remnant with the gift she had been so graciously blessed.

"I'm just..." she finished slowly, "not sure Haven is the right place for me."

"I see. Is it something with the school, or...?"

She shook her head. The Academy was an incredible place; the Headmaster was a good man, the grounds were beautiful and peaceful, and it was undoubtedly one of, if not _the_ , best combat schools in Remnant as far as Pyrrha was concerned.

No, it wasn't Haven. It was _Mistral_. It was _her_ , and what the people thought of her.

Winning the Mistral Regional tournament at her age was no small feat, and a four-year streak was downright incredible. It was something Pyrrha was painfully aware of. She couldn't go anywhere, do anything in the main Kingdom without someone recognizing her. Without pictures taken, autographs signed, questions tossed this way and that.

At first, she had tried not to let it get to her. She didn't care for the fame - all she wanted was to challenge herself to be better. The tournament had seemed like a good way to do that at the time. The ramifications to her personal life had been small, once the fanfare of her victory had tapered off. A bit of recognition here, a 'job well done' or 'are you going to enter next year?' there. But then the second, and third, and fourth years had come about, and she had suddenly found herself very alone. Her fellow students at Sanctum distanced themselves from her. Her professors gave her special treatment. Her status had soared from celebrity to prodigy.

That was a weight she was eager to lift given the opportunity, no matter how it presented itself.

Her mother didn't need to know that, though. Pyrrha loved her with every fiber of her soul, but the last thing she wanted was for her to worry.

"I just think..." Pyrrha said at length, "that a change of scenery might help put things into perspective a little better."

Her mother considered her for a long minute, taking a sip of her tea. Pyrrha did the same, the warm liquid doing wonders to quell the anxiety twisting her stomach.

"Well..." said her mother, giving a small nod. "Haven is not the only Huntsman Academy in Remnant. Was there somewhere, in particular, you had in mind?"

Pyrrha's smile was apprehensive, despite the fluttering hope that swelled in her chest. "Beacon Academy. In... Vale?"

Her mother's eyes widened. "So far?" she asked, setting her cup down.

"Mother," Pyrrha huffed, grin broadening fully. "It's only a day's journey by airship."

"I know," came the soft response. Pyrrha frowned. Perhaps she was wrong in her thinking. She hadn't known for sure if her mother would say yes, but it had far outweighed the possibility that she might say no. Now, she wasn't sure at all. Maybe Vale was too far? Maybe she wanted her to wait another year, until she had settled into the format of a proper combat academy?

She couldn't help her small jump as her mother's hands slid over her own, the older woman crouching at her side. She hadn't even noticed her standing.

"My darling girl..." she said, voice tinged with a startling sadness. A few bothersome strands of hair were brushed from her forehead before her mother's hand came to rest on her cheek. "You've always pushed yourself a little too hard."

Pyrrha winced, and lowered her gaze. She supposed a mother's worry was unavoidable, especially in this circumstance. Still, she found it in herself to offer a playful smile. "I believe the saying is, 'like mother, like daughter'."

"Ah, a fair point," her mother chuckled, giving the side of her nose a tap with a knowing wink. They laughed together for a minute; one that ended far too quickly. All at once, she was frowning again. "Although, Pyrrha, it is an entirely different Kingdom. You wouldn't know anyone there. You're... certain you'd be alright? On your own?"

"Of course," Pyrrha said brightly, straightening in her seat. Her mother trusted her ability to be responsible unwaveringly, she knew that much. Years in the spotlight had demonstrated that quite clearly. "It might take some getting used to. But I'll be fine."

Her mother sighed, a thumb trailing across her cheek in a gentle caress. She regarded her for a few more moments, pursing her lips slightly. Then, she nodded.

"Alright. As long as you call as often as you can spare..."

Pyrrha's breath caught, and she forced herself to swallow past the excitement that leapt to her throat. Her mother got to her feet, still holding her hands tightly, but now her eyes sparkled with joy and pride.

"If you feel that Beacon is where you want to go, then Vale it is. Sounds like a wonderful adventure," she announced.

Pyrrha stood and wrapped her arms around her mother, humming contentedly as the embrace was returned. She felt a little lightheaded, giddiness making her head spin. It was actually happening. Within two months, she would be leaving for Vale.

She giggled and drew back, a bright smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm positive it will be. Thank you, mother!"

 _Yes,_ Pyrrha nodded to herself, smile still steadily lifting her expression as she raced from the kitchen, throwing a wave over her shoulder. _An adventure._ With that perfectly wonderful view in mind, the young warrior took the stairs two at a time. She had an application form to submit.


	4. Chapter 4: No Need For Goodbyes

**Title:** _No Need For Goodbyes_  
 **Characters:** _Jaune Arc (+ the Arc sisters; Kiera and Bianca)_  
 **Summary:** _Jaune makes a very important phone call._

* * *

 _Breathe._

There were many things in life he figured he had taken for granted. His home, nestled in a small village in southern Anima. The unwavering support of his parents, despite their reservations about him wanting to be a Huntsman. The quiet beauty of the forest bordering his backyard. His time at Beacon. His team.

Her.

His sisters, however, were not included in that list. The Arc siblings were as thick as thieves and twice as fierce, and that was something Jaune had always known. And when the CCT fell, when he was certain the last thing they saw was Beacon and Vale being decimated, all he wanted was to reassure them that he was safe.

It was months before he got that chance, and he sprang upon it the moment it arose.

 _Breathe. They'll pick up. Just... breathe._

Jaune's foot bounced anxiously, skittering almost violently against the hardwood floor of the Mistral homestead. His door was open, but he knew Ruby would keep the others from bothering him for a while.

' _Do... do your sisters know you're alive, Jaune?'_ she had asked that morning, silver eyes full of worry. He supposed it was to be expected - she had her sister back now, and it made sense that it could cross her mind. He couldn't remember what he had told her, but her eventual advice had been to give them a call.

So, he there was. Scroll in one hand, resting his forehead on the other, listening to the droning dial tone. _Please, pick up..._

At length, the line clicked. "Hello?" came a familiar voice, distorted by slight static as the local area connection strained to hold a steady signal.

For all his reminding himself to breathe, in an instant, Jaune forgot how to.

"Hello, who is this?"

Fingers curled in his hair, and the slight pain brought him back to himself, if only just. "Bianca," he said unevenly, struggling past the lump in his throat.

"Speaking," she replied, voice clipped and distinctly impatient. The words had been there a moment ago, he was sure of it. Now there was nothing; a blank, empty void. What could he say to her? Could anything make up for his months of silence? Did they truly think he was...

"Look, if this is anoth-"

"Bianca, it's Jaune," he interrupted. A stunned silence followed. Gathering his courage, he straightened and forced his tone to be a bit lighter. "Hey, lil' sis."

Her stifled sob was as unexpected as it wasn't, but it made Jaune wince all the same. Leaning back, he lowered his hand from his head, crumpling the sheets of the bed into a tight fist instead, and closed his eyes.

"Oh my gods," Bianca breathed. It was almost a wheeze. "Jaune? _Jaune?_ T-That's really- Oh my gods, you're alive! You're _alive!_ I-I... I- we didn't... we couldn't..."

 _I was right,_ Jaune realized. _They thought I was dead._

"Bianca? Who is it?"

Another voice filtered in from the background, barely audible over Bianca's sniffles. Scratchy, echoing white noise came through - he assumed his sister was moving.

"It's Jaune!" she shouted, voice breaking, but it sounded distant; muffled, and a little deep. She likely had her hand over the speaker. Jaune took the brief few seconds to level his breathing and clear his throat or, at least, try to. He shifted backward until his unarmored back hit the wall, and sagged against it. His head hit with a dull _thud._

"Kiera! Kiera, Jaune's on the phone!"

More movement, before Bianca came through again, clearly this time.

"Jaune, are you okay?!" she said loudly amidst sniffles. "We saw what happened to Beacon on the TV, and then we didn't hear from you, and-"

"Yeah. I'm-" he began, though his voice caught. Giving his head a shake, he pushed a sharp exhale out his nose. After everything, he wouldn't pile more worry on his family. Not if he could help it.

"I'm alright. I'm, uh," he said, "actually in Mistral right now. I tried to call sooner, but with the... with the CCT down..." His posture sagged, shoulders dropping as if beset by some sudden weight. "I'm sorry it took so long. I called as soon as I got a signal."

"Gods, Jaune, don't..." she broke off with another sob. It took her a little longer to collect herself this time, and by the sound of it, she was crying properly when she continued. "Don't apologize. You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice..." The idea of a smile flickered across his lips at that. He opened his mouth to speak again, but a ruckus on the other end made him pause.

"Hang on. Kiera's yelling at me. I'm handing the phone over to her, okay?"

The phone had switched hands before he could say anything more to his younger sibling, and her voice was replaced by an older one,

"Jaune? Jaune, you there? It's-"

"Kiera." He _did_ smile this time. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed them, and if hearing Bianca's voice lessened the ache in his chest, his eldest sister's warm lilt had it evaporating entirely. "Hey."

"Oh my god, it _is_ you..." she said. She was quiet for a moment, in which Jaune barely caught her much softer sniffle. Then, she burst out into relieved laughter. "H-hey, lil bro. How... How've you been?"

Jaune's smile faded. "Not great. But I'm alive."

"Gods. Beacon. Jaune, I'm _so_ sorry, I-" she paused. Sighed. "Jaune, what _happened_?"

It was Jaune's turn to laugh this time - a rough, humorless bark that sounded far too much like Ruby's uncle for his liking.

"A lot. A lot happened," he said, hand returning to his forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter against the pinpricks that assaulted them. "I don't know where to start."

"I-I called you guys, the night before... _before_ ," he stressed the word, and Kiera gave a small hum of acknowledgment, "didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But, then..." she trailed off. Jaune nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. She drew a long breath, then started anew. "Your team... Jaune, are th-"

He shut his eyes tighter; saw red.

"My partner," he ground out through gritted teeth. The burn of tears intensified as his chest constricted, and he once again found it impossible to breathe. Her name came as a whisper, "Pyrrha. She's gone, Kee."

"Oh," Kiera's voice was small and soft. She knew about his team, probably more than any of his other sisters. She had been the only one he could rely on not to tease him incessantly about it all. "Oh, Jaune..."

"It's fine. I'm... _I'm_ fine."

It was a blatant lie, and Kiera caught on the moment he had finished speaking.

"You're still a horrible liar, Jaune," she said gently. He bit down hard on his lip to hold back the sharp retort that leapt to his tongue, and the coppery tang of blood flooded his mouth. He knew she was right. She was always right.

Thankfully, tact was also one of her better traits.

"How are Ren and Nora?" she asked after a minute of silence. Jaune licked the stinging pain from his lip before answering as honestly as he could.

"They're okay," he said, on a breath that was far calmer than he actually felt. "We're okay, Kee. We're alive. I told Bianca - we're in Mistral."

"You're _what?!_ " Kiera demanded, and Jaune was smiling again, unable to help the chuckle that rumbled in his chest at her utterly baffled tone. "What- why- _How_ did you manage _that_?"

"We walked," he shrugged, his grin twitching into a smirk.

"You- who's 'we'?!"

"Kiera, please," he said, shifting into a more relaxed position as he set his elbows on his knees. "Ren, Nora and I. Plus..." He frowned and cast a glance at the open door. "You remember our friends, right? Team RWBY? I told you about them."

"Yes, I remember," she said slowly, uncertainly.

"Their leader's with us. Ruby. Her team... got hit pretty hard too," he replied.

"Jaune, I-..." She sighed softly. "I wish there was something I could say."

There wasn't; they both knew that. He had known that even before picking up the phone; even before leaving for Mistral. There was nothing that could make this hurt less, but Jaune had already accepted that.

"I know. It's alright. Just being able to hear from you guys again is... more than enough," he said. "How are mom and dad?"

"Worried sick. They were beginning to think..." she didn't finish, and Jaune didn't need her to. His parents were wonderful, and he loved them, but it didn't surprise him that after what happened to Vale, they doubted his ability to keep himself alive long enough to see, much less speak with them again.

"They're not home right now, but... we'll put them on when they get in, okay? You won't go anywhere, right?"

"No," he assured, settling back into his previous position against the wall in physical confirmation. "I'm staying right here. I promise."

For once, it felt like a promise he'd be able to keep.

"Good. Now. Start from the beginning, Jaune. Tell me everything."


End file.
